Sunday 26 August 2001 - Unity in Christ

(Summary of sermon by Erlo Stegen, spoken at a funeral service)

1 Cor 1:10

Corinth was a very rich city and all the sins typical of a city were found there as well. Having two harbours there were many sailors who visited the brothels. It was also populated with different nationalities, Jews and Greeks and others as well.

As Paul preached the Gospel to them, many of them repented and joined Paul in serving the Lord Jesus, e.g. we read of the ruler of the synagogue who repented and joined Paul.

As Paul continued to preach the Gospel, Satan was not asleep and he soon began his work. Some Christians, even those converted under Paul's ministry, started to turn their backs on him, and caused divisions, slandering him behind his back. They were also starting a party-spirit in the church.

And so Paul starts this letter to the Corinthians with his first point, after the salutation, rebuking them for their divisions.

We read that when the world sees the love that God's children have for one another, then they will acknowledge that God sent His Son Jesus to save the world. This message of the unity and love of God's children one for another is God's fist to slay his enemies.

Are you one with your brethren? Be not deceived, if you are not one with God's children, your life cannot be right with God. Neither will your sermons have any power. Satan knows this and uses this tool to try and stop the work of God.

Our text says: "I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing..." It is as if Jesus Himself is pleading with us that we would speak the same thing - be one in heart and mind with our brethren.

If you do not speak the same thing with your brethren - if there are any divisions among you - do not let the sun go down until you have settled that thing. Search all your relationships - parent with child and child with parent, brother with brother. And remember that God will judge us whether we've settled the matter as we ought, and we will have to stand before Him and give account to Him.

Are you perfectly joined to the brethren? In London, there's a scale at the Royal Mint which is so sensitive that it is able to indicate the weight of a signature on a piece of paper. If sinful man can make a scale so sensitive, how much more God, who created us? How much more will He not weigh you who speak hypocritically before a person, but slander him behind his back. Others say, I will just leave this church and join the next. How can you join the other church when it is not sorted out where you come from?

Can you hear God's voice calling from heaven that you be perfectly joined together with God's children? Or are you so dull of hearing that you cannot hear anymore?

(To listen to the sermon in RealAudio click here)